Serena motioned to Ashley with the gun.
“Wow. You’re getting smarter by the second. Too smart to have around. I’ve got to move fast and get out of here before the plan falls apart and talking to you is just slowing me down. Bye bye Ashley.”
Serena then pointed the gun at Ashley’s head.
Ashley closed her eyes. Serena’s face was not the last thing she wanted to see on this earth. Her parents, Sean, Lara, and Charlie shone in her eyelids.
Then suddenly, just as Serena was about to pull the trigger, relief came.
“Freeze!!!!!” the cops shouted. “Drop the gun now!”
Serena froze. She stared at the cops. She lowered the gun slowly.
“I said drop it,” one Cop commanded again.
The gun slid to the floor. Serena started to sob.
“You don’t understand. I hated everyone for what they did to me. I had to survive. And now I’ve lost the fortune we built up for years. I deserved that at least. I deserved it!”
The other Cop handcuffed Serena and led her out of the cabin.
Detective Thompson put his arm around Ashley’s shoulder.
“Are you ok?”
Ashley clutched her chest, and then breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“Oh wow. I’m not dead. Hi Nathaniel.”
“First off, you’re very much alive. Secondly, please call me Na…”
“Nate. Yes. Right. I have to finally get that straight.”
“Would you like to go home now?” Thompson said.
Ashley teared up. “Would I ever.”
“Now, now, everything’s ok. No lectures from me about disobeying orders and following people and putting your life in danger.”
“Of course not. You’re such an understanding guy.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him.
***
When they got outside, she noticed the cops had already left with Serena to book her.
“You guys have all been so wonderful. And you got here just in time,” Ashley said.
“All’s well that ends well,” Detective Thompson smiled.
“Very good Nate. I’m impressed you know some Shakespeare.”
“What?” he stammered.
“Surely you know that ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ is one of Shakespeare’s better-known plays,” she teased.
“Really? I just heard my mom say that all the time. Especially after that big car accident I got into when I was 18 years old.”
“Well, thank goodness you made it out alive and are now solving cases in our fine town,” Ashley said.
“Thanks to you and all your help. Now get in your car and I’ll follow you home. Don’t want you stopping off snooping around anywhere,” Thompson replied.
“Yes sir.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Once she was back home, Ashley waved goodbye to Nate and walked in the door as if in a dream. Everything was so simple and so calm.
“Mom! Dad!” Ashley called. No answer. “Mom!!!! Dad!!!!”
April yelled back from the living room. “In here!”
Ashley walked in and saw Sean sitting with her mom going through photo albums.
“Sean, hi. What are you doing here?” Ashley asked.
“You said we were seeing a movie tonight and to come by early this time and have dinner first. I’m a little too early I guess.”
He gave her a confused look.
“Uh no, that’s right. I remember now. Sorry, crazy day today.”
“Copy that,” Burt said. He walked into the living room covered with dirt.
“Dear, why are you covered with dirt? And why are you standing on our clean carpet in front of our guest?” April gasped.
“A bag of fertilizer exploded on me at the garden shop. That young kid manager took pity on me and sent me home because I smelled to high heaven,” Burt chuckled.
“Well, can you please go shower dear? Goodness, it smells like a barn in here,” April said.
“An honest job gets messy sometimes. I’m sure Sean understands that,” Burt said. He laughed all the way to the bathroom.
“I’ve left the bakery many a day covered in flour,” Sean said.
“Well, that’s not as bad on a carpet as fertilizer,” April insisted.
“My carpet is navy blue,’ Sean grinned.
Ashley felt every muscle in her body relax for the first time in months. And her appetite was bigger than ever.
“Mom, I’m starved. What’s for dinner?”
“Lots of good food honey, don’t you worry.” April turned to Sean.
“I’ve had to refine my cooking skills with my daughter home. She’s not an easy act to follow you know.”
“Well, she told me she was loving your cooking,” Sean replied. “Can I come in the kitchen and keep you company while you prepare it?”
“Of course, I’d love to show off to a bakery owner,” April gushed.
Just then, Ashley’s phone rang. It was Lara.
“Hey, how are you? Have I ever got some hot news for you,” Ashley said.
“You’re getting married to Sean?” Lara asked.
“Whoa, no, slow down. But we are going to a movie tonight. As a matter of fact, he’s here now in the kitchen with mom.”
“Good, glad to hear you’re coming to your senses. So what’s the hot news then?”
April called from the kitchen. “Ashley, come see what Sean made!”
“You know, we need time to really go over it. Talk to you later?”
“Let’s save it for our date this weekend. Remember, shopping and whatever. Fill in the dots. But make sure it’s fun,” Lara insisted.
Ashley sighed. “Got it. Gives my tired and feeble brain time to formulate a plan.”
Lara paused. “Come on, let’s hear it.”
“Hear what?” Ashley asked.
Lara laughed. “Something Shakespeare. You wanna keep that brain nimble? You have to keep working it.”
Ashley struggled to answer. So much to say and not enough food in her to fuel her thoughts.
“Ash? Don’t fail me now. Give me something or I’m running over and taking your temperature,” Lara insisted.
“Ok, here goes. ‘This above all: to thine own self be true,’ from ‘Hamlet.’ There’s more to it, but have mercy on me Lara. I’m not a quote factory you know.”
“You’re not? Not sure I want to hang out with you anymore,” Lara teased.
“Bye weirdo. See you Saturday,” Ashley said.
Sean came out from the kitchen.
“Ash? Want to come see what your mom and I just made for dinner?”
Ashley smiled at him. “Yeah.”
Just then he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. When he pulled back, Ashley was gazing up at him.
“I’d like another one of those later please,” she said.
As she followed Sean into the kitchen, she saw Charlie on the couch looking at her. She stopped and petted him.
“Thanks for helping me. If you weren’t a cat, I’d swear you were a bloodhound,” Ashley said.
He gave her a look that seemed to say ‘stick with me kid, I’ve got you covered,’ and stretched his paw out.
Ashley shook it.
“Deal,” she smiled.
The End.
The Long Paw Of The Law 2
Chapter One
Ashley Crane sat at the dinner table with her parents and her good friend Sean. Or should she describe Sean as “boyfriend material”? She wasn’t sure. He had been a dear friend for most of her life, but recently, she had been getting closer and closer to him, and there were good thoughts about him always swirling around in her head, not to mention sweet feelings in her heart. They went out together a lot more now, but it was hard to call them “dates” for some reason. Maybe because they had hung out together for so many years as friends.
She was still at the point where she didn’t want to label the relationship. She knew that was immature, but she couldn’t put a name to so
mething she hadn’t figured out yet. In any case, they were together quite a bit now, and having him over to dinner was as comfortable as wearing her old flannel pajamas. On top of that, Ashley’s parents just adored him.
It was a lovely evening in their hometown of Comfortville. The weather had been perfect this September. The lovely forests on the top of the hills overlooking the town and the long valleys surrounding it were turning green again after the hot summer and a recent few days of rain. This part of the northwest was so picturesque. Tourists came pouring into the seaside towns up and down the coast, but since Comfortville was inland a bit, they usually bypassed it. Lately, though, word had gotten out how pretty the town was, and everyone had noticed more folks this summer walking down the charming streets with their hanging flower pots and exploring the antique shops and eating in the homey cafes. And every Sunday the local Farmer’s Market was mobbed. Most eating establishments were lucky enough to get produce locally, and it made a big difference in the quality of the food. That and the scenery and fresh air made it a great place to have grown up.
“Sean, you’ve hardly eaten anything,” Ashley’s mother, April said. “Have some more potatoes.”
Sean laughed. “Actually, I’ve been eating quite a bit. You just haven’t noticed while you were talking.”
“I’m sure that you haven’t had your share,” April said.
She passed him the potatoes and some more meatloaf.
Sean’s eyes widened at the platter. He had a good appetite and April’s meatloaf was delicious.
Just as Sean was reaching for the last piece, he noticed Ashley’s father, Burt, looking wistfully at the platter.
“Uh, how about you Mr. Crane? Wouldn’t you like the last piece?” Sean asked.
“Now Sean, call him Burt. You’ve known us long enough that you don’t need ‘Mr. and Mrs.’ anymore. And secondly, Burt doesn’t need another piece of meatloaf. His cholesterol is too high as it is,” April stated.
“Doggone it woman, why do you continually cook all this good food that you say I shouldn’t eat? Why don’t you just give me one of those kale salads and be done with it?” Burt grumbled.
Ashley laughed. “Dad, you and a kale salad? I don’t think so.”
“Dear, don’t exaggerate. I never say you shouldn’t eat my cooking, I just say don’t eat too much of my cooking,” April continued.
Sean did a great turnaround. “Here Mr. C, let’s split this last piece. I shouldn’t eat the whole thing myself anyway.”
Ashley smiled. She knew Sean could’ve wolfed down that piece in a second, but it was a nice thing to do for her dad.
April beamed. “Well, if I knew there would be fighting over my meatloaf, I would’ve made another one for you to take home, Sean.”
April then walked into the kitchen to get dessert.
Burt grinned. “Thanks buddy. I don’t mind sharing because I’ll fill up the empty space in my stomach with dessert.”
April returned with a plate of brownies. They were still slightly warm, and the deep chocolate smell was heavenly. Ashley and Sean smiled at each other.
Burt took a long look at them, then turned to his wife. “Well?”
“Well, what dear?”
“What about ice cream?” he asked.
“I thought we should eat these plain. I used a high-quality European chocolate, and I didn’t want to dump ice cream all over them.”
“Who wants ice cream?” Burt asked.
Everyone’s hands went up.
April sighed as she headed back to the kitchen.
“Ashley, I thought you of all people would take my side on this,” her mom said.
The minute April was gone, Burt took the biggest brownie and put it on his plate, then loaded two more in his napkin and hid them on his lap. He leaned in and whispered to Ashley and Sean.
“I really didn’t care about the ice cream; I just didn’t want a lecture about eating too many of these.”
Ashley and Sean quickly took their share to disguise the fact Burt had raided the platter.
April returned and saw the near empty dessert platter. “Goodness, you all are hungry! I’ll just have to make more of these next time too.”
“Delicious mom,” Ashley groaned, as she ate another bite of fudgy brownie. She reached for the ice cream and put a big scoop on her brownie.
So did Sean.
“These are great, Mrs. C. I should get you to make some every week and sell them. We’ll call them ‘April’s Fudgy Brownie Delights’ at the bakery. They’d be a huge hit.”
“Great idea!” Burt said. “Then when she cuts me off at home, I can go to your place and get some more.”
Sean laughed. “Just don’t say I sold them to you, Mr. C, or I won’t get invited to dinner anymore.”
April sat there in a daze for a moment.
“Would you really feature my brownies?” she asked.
“Of course,” Sean said. “People would love them, and I’d look good for selling them.”
“Yeah mom, these would sell out,” Ashley said.
“I’ve asked Ashley to come in and bake with me, but she wants to stay a cook. I could use an influx of some other baked goods,” Sean said.
“Oh Ashley, I think you should do it. Something to work on at least until you get another job,” April said.
“Mom, I thought about it, but now I have to focus on my catering job coming up. And if it goes well, I could book more events, and that will keep me busy too,” Ashley explained.
“Where is this job exactly?” Burt asked as he munched away.
“At Hartman’s Luxury Autos outside of town,” Ashley said.
Burt sputtered and reached for his water.
“That snake oil dealer? You didn’t tell me that!”
“Dad, I did actually. We talked about it over the phone when you were working in the garage yesterday morning.”
“Your father accidently nailed two big plank boards together and was cussing up a storm. I don’t think he remembered a word you said,” April added.
Sean cut in at just the right time. “Well, explain it all to us again.”
“I heard that Hartman’s Autos does big parties every now and then, so I called and explained I’d be interested if they needed anyone to cater an event,” Ashley said. “The person I spoke with was very nice and asked me to email my resume. I got a call from the general manager who said he knew about my skills from eating at my old spot, Gratitude Café, and asked if I could come in for an interview.”
“Maybe he was more interested in the fact that you cooked at a restaurant where a murder was committed,” Burt mused.
“Burt! What a mean thing to say. I’m sure he was interested in the fact that she’s a great cook. He probably ate at Gratitude Café more than once I bet. You shouldn’t diss our daughter like that,” April admonished.
“Good Lord woman, I know she’s a great cook. So does everyone in the town. But it certainly helped to get her name out there once the media swarmed all over here while the case was being solved. Gratitude Café is now and forever infamous.”
“Mom, did you just say ‘diss’?” Ashley asked.
“Well, if I’m going to bake for Sean, I have to relate to all ages now.”
“Don’t worry Mrs. C, no one would diss these delicious brownies,” Sean teased.
Burt frowned at Ashley.
“I hope you know what you’re getting into. Bob Hartman is a crook in my book. He tried to sell me a car way above cost and told me he would only give me a few hundred dollars for that old car I wanted to trade in. He also trained his staff to deal like him too. That’s why he put his dealership on the farthest outskirts of the town, so you wouldn’t smell the rats running around.”
Ashley sighed. “I miss that old car.”
April nodded. “Ran like a top.”
“That’s the car you got your license in, right Ash?” Sean asked.
“Yeah, good memories.”
Burt’s eyes gl
istened. “Now, don’t get all weepy about that car. Everyone was happy when we got the new one with all the bells and whistles, so let’s remember that. Even though there’s more steel and better design in that old tank than that thing sitting in the driveway now.”
Ashley sighed again. “Yeah, all good things come to an end.”
“Just like this dinner. Excuse me, but I have to get everything cleaned up and go make some calls to my decoupage group. I can’t wait to tell them I’ll be baking for Babycakes Bakery!” April gushed. She grabbed some plates and ran into the kitchen.
“What’s the name of the general manager over at Hartman’s? He seemed like a weasel too as I remember,” Burt said.
“Dad, it’s just a party. I’m not buying a car from them. And it could lead to more catering work which would be great.”
Burt kept on, firing off the first name he could think of. “Mark something.”
“Laughlin, his last name is Laughlin,” Ashley said.
“That’s right. ‘Laughing Laughlin’ they call him. That’s cause he’s laughing as he takes your money.”
“Ok dad, ok. Like I said--”
“Make sure they pay you some big bucks. Hartman can afford it. He’s fleeced so many people we could make sweaters for everyone in Canada ten times over.”
Sean tried to change the subject. “I’d love to go to Canada. I’ve never been.”
“It’s settled then,” Burt smiled. “We’ll go fishing. In July or August, though. Don’t want to freeze my patooties off.”
“Ok dad, good night. Got to get back to my apartment and check on Charlie and Susie Q. Going to say goodbye to mom,” Ashley said.
“Everything back to normal over there?” Burt asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Except my landlady, Mrs. Norris, gossips more than ever. I look out my window first before I leave to try and avoid talking to her.”
“Well, you’re kind of a celeb after helping to solve the Gratitude Café murder, Ash. She probably thinks you might have a handful of new secrets to gossip about,” Sean said.
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Collection Page 19